Abstract:
The Indian navy has a glorious modern history of over 300 years. It has participated in many naval campaigns and wars, earning widespread fame and recognition for its tactical wins and professionalism. However, there is another, sidelined role played by the navy- during peacetime. The Indian Navy website addresses these services as the ‘benign role’ – Search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, etc.
This paper questions their classification as “benign” operations, instead analysing them as one of the most important aspects of Indian foreign policy and global engagement. Amidst a maritime tussle for power in the Indian Ocean Region and the security threats arising from West Asia, the navy has risen as a security provider for the world and a friend in crisis. Through various case studies, we shall study the various domains of peacetime naval operations, and how they serve as confidence-building measures amidst turbulent times, as India seeks to rise and assert itself in the New World Order.
Introduction:
Ever since the origin of seafaring, mankind has mounted the waves to fight on distant lands. From the Cholas and the Nordic tribes to the Crusades, the navy was at the forefront of the economic and political advances of every major civilization of the ancient world. Wind power gave way to steam and nuclear—powered ships, weapons changed from cannons to missiles. The Second World underscored the undeniable assistance of a modern navy. Under leaders such as Shivaji, Nelson, Nimitz, Tirpitz and Yamamoto, nations’ navies brought the power of the state to foreign lands- and forced them into submission. From protecting commercial shipping to attacking foreign territories, a navy has been the choice of the prudent leader- serving all power dynamics from territorial and colonial expansion to goodwill outreaches and the establishment of a global political presence.
The Indian Navy, in modern circles, draws its origin from the Royal Indian Marine, established in 1712 by the British East India Company. Indigenous navies were found in the Harappa period, and the Satvahana, Mauryan and Chola empires, conquering large swathes of what today constitutes South-East Asia. The Zamorin of Calicut, as well as the Mughals maintained a credible fleet in the medieval era. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, established the first modern Indian navy in 1656, establishing an offensive fleet that challenged the colonial powers on the high seas. The current fleet was reconstituted after Partition on 26th January 1950, and the service currently boasts of over 150 frontline ships, aircraft, with over 67,000 personnel serving the fourth-largest navy in the world.
India and the IOR: navigating turbulent waters
To understand the role of the Indian navy in non-conventional arenas, it is first important for us to understand how the Indian Ocean has become the focus of global attention over the last decade.
The Indian Ocean region is one of the largest channels of trade in the modern world, with over 33% of the world’s trade (by volume), and 80% of the world’s crude oil supply flowing through it every year (Baruah et al., 2023). It is also one of the highly contested regions in the world- due to a complexity of reasons stemming from its economic importance. The East African coast is the hotbed of maritime piracy, threatening commercial shipping near the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The Houthis of Yemen and the Hezbollah have risen to prominence for using rockets and drones to disrupt the above-mentioned passages. Similar actions have been taken by Iran, given its conservative anti-West, pro-Arab agenda.
In addition to such security threats, there is also the probability of various island nations facing humanitarian crises in the form of cyclones, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It is a large area to cover for search and rescue (SAR) exercises in the event of aviation and maritime accidents. Tensions have been exacerbated by regional conflicts in the region, such as the civil war in Yemen, the rise of ISIS in Iraq, and most recently, the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. In contemporary dialogue, the region has also taken center stage for a more covert game of power- Chinese attempts to establish a military and political presence via its ‘String of Pearls’ initiative in the Indian Ocean Rim countries- Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, etc. to name a few.
The navy: traditional operational domains
In such a volatile region, the Indian navy has been active ever since independence, ensuring the security and stability of the region. In 1961, it aided the liberation of Goa from Portuguese colonial rule, by capturing the ARA Alfonso de Alberqerque as well as the Anjadip island. It was instrumental in deterring Pakistani naval aggression during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, attacking Karachi port and sinking PNS Ghazi, while ensuring a naval blockade of East Pakistan. It was mobilised during various standoffs with Pakistan, and has, in conjunction with the Coast Guard, worked to prevent narcotics, arms and smuggled goods from flowing into the country.
Since 2008, it has maintained at least 10 ships in the Strait of Hormuz region, for anti-piracy patrols which have since secured thousands of ships from potential attacks. These have been vocal assertions of Indian maritime prowess in the region, making India an indispensable ally for littoral states in the Indian Ocean. Many foreign powers have also looked towards India as a partner for maintaining freedom of navigation, and security of commercial waterways in the volatile West Asian seas. This, coupled with a large scale of indigenisation in its equipment and the ability to successfully operate in green-water and blue-water regions of the Indian Ocean.
However, in recent years, the Indian navy has expanded its reach and capabilities much beyond its traditional role. This paper shall analyse a few domains of this ‘benign’ outreach, it’s long-term effects on Indian diplomacy, and the irreplaceable role it plays in the multiple dynamics at play in the IOR over the coming decades.
Conflict evacuation- the power of the Indian passport
Machiavelli or otherwise, the ‘realpolitik’ understanding of the modern world accepts conflict as an unhealthy, but existent factor in the international order. With conflict comes displacement- and local governments may fail to protect foreign citizens on its soil amidst its scramble for survival. Wherever Indians have been threatened, during conflicts led by both state and non-state actors, the Indian navy has reached foreign shores to evacuate its citizens, and in many cases, other foreign nationals as well.
We may look at the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006 (Op. Sukoon), the Libyan crisis of 2011 (Op. Safe Homecoming), and the Yemeni civil war of 2015 (Op. Raahat) as prime examples, when frontline warships and auxiliary craft alike evacuated thousands of Indian and other nationals to Indian shores. An average estimate across these operations puts the number at 24,000 total evacuees, around 20,000 of which were Indians. In recent news, as late as December 2023, India evacuated its citizens from the embattled country of Sudan, with INS Sumedha embarking with 278 Indians towards Jeddah.
This use of military assets for civilian and reparative measures could not have come at a better time, when Chinese military assertion and the violence by non-state actors have stimulated an aversion towards military hardware being deployed in one’s territory by a foreign state. Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, once said in an interview that during conflict, the power of a passport is judged by whether that country has the capability to evacuate you to safety, from wherever you may be positioned in the world. Perhaps these events were symbolic of that declaration, wherein Indian assistance in absence of local aid is deemed necessary not only by the Indian diaspora, but also by foreign nations who were otherwise forced to leave their citizens stranded.
Such evacuation operations, therefore, elevate India’s position in the foreign policy considerations of every global power, for a country who doesn’t hesitate to intervene in refugee and humanitarian crises outside its traditional domain of operations, would be a capable ally in the larger global tussle for diplomatic and strategic supremacy. Therefore, it wouldn’t be an understatement to suggest the expansion of India’s sphere of influence- both military and diplomatic- to a pan-Asian and global scale.
India, the first responder:
The Indian Ocean is a region fraught with natural disasters- especially cyclones and other tropical storms that wreak havoc across littoral islands and coastal regions of South Asia every year. Most of these countries have small, ecology-dependent or vulnerable economies which lack the human and technical resources to combat these disasters. Notwithstanding this, it is simply difficult to brave the onslaught of the elements, while being stripped of a credible first response.
In such scenarios, India has always acted as the first and largest responder, sending rations and medical supplies, rescue teams, machinery and other essentials to that country in question, in true accordance with its ‘Neighbourhood Policy’.
While the Army and Air Force do have certain logistical and deployment concerns, the navy has risen to the challenge with a wider range of operation and large load-carrying capacity at its belt. Be it the Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, or even our eastern neighbour Bangladesh, the navy has not hesitated to respond to their call for global help. It would be difficult to pinpoint any one operation as the best, for all responses have been timely and exemplary to say the least.
One incident, however, deserves special attention. A fire in Male’s sewage treatment plant left almost 100,000 people without access to clean water in the Maldivian capital in 2015. India immediately airlifted bottled water to the city, however, maintaining the supply route was indeed a challenge. Therefore, 14 naval and support vessels were diverted or deployed to Male, carrying additional bottled water. Additionally, each vessel’s onboard desalination plant had the capacity to generate between 40-100 tons of fresh water every day. This Operation Neer was the step that helped tide over the crisis, until Indian technicians onboard these ships were able to repair the plant. (PTI, 2014)
Indian HADR has also had another, lesser-noticed aspect- search and rescue operations in the exclusive Indian zone as well as the broader reaches of the Indian Ocean. Indian naval warships are constantly on the lookout for strayed fishermen and trawlers, working in cohesion with the Coast Guard to provide medical assistance, as well as evacuation and repatriation to the concerned civilians. Most of the vessels, intercepted from 2023-24 were crewed by Iranian or Pakistani nationals, which was a sign of continued bonhomie despite flaring up of geopolitical tensions. India also aided in the search effort for the Indonesian Navy’s KRI Nanggala, a submarine lost at sea in 2021.
The Indian navy, through such humanitarian efforts, has cemented its position as the first responder of the Indian Ocean, going all out in its efforts irrespective of the status of its bilateral ties with the concerned nation- a true representation of a benevolent maritime power. India’s presence as the largest navy in the Indian Ocean has been favoured for both its aspects- as a capable protector of friendly nations’ maritime and security interests, and every nation’s ally in a humanitarian crisis. This mix of hard and soft power, coupled with the diplomatic prudency to deal in both, has justified India’s rising stature in the region.
Operating in Covid: a humanitarian bridge across the IOR
The coronavirus pandemic was a cataclysmic event for the world- shutting down all transportation hubs and placing a huge strain on medical infrastructure. At this time, all three Indian naval commands responded above the beyond the call of duty, deploying extensive resources to help locals to combat the pandemic. It airlifted medical supplies, testing kits, as well as trained personnel across the country, and to the Indian island chains. Various hospitals opened their doors to civilian patients and made provisions of food and shelter so that migrant labourers need not return home. It also distributed oxygen generators and repaired defective ones to address the oxygen shortfall. The IL-38 and Dornier aircraft were also mobilised to deliver essential products rapidly across the country (Negi & Bhalla, 2021).
Mission SAGAR: the Navy also dispatched medical supplies (including vaccines) and trained professional to friendly foreign countries such as the Maldives, Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar, and the Seychelles, to help ease their burden. (Indian Navy, 2020)
Samudra Setu I & II: the first operation, undertaken in 2020, helped repatriate 3,992 Indian citizens from the ports of Male, Bandar Abbas and Colombo, using the more spacious Landing Platform Docks and Tanks of the navy. these flexible and multi-faceted sea-lift ships were also equipped with additional beds for possible Covid cases (although rigid protocols ensured there were none), with separate areas and staff for female evacuees. The second iteration, in 2021, saw frontline warships of all 3 naval commands being deployed to friendly foreign countries to bring home supplementary oxygen supplies (including cylinders and oxygen concentrators), during the Delta wave of the Covid pandemic in India (Indian Navy, 2021).India saw aid pouring in from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, and Singapore in South-East Asia. Singapore also sent crucial medical supplies to help alleviate the shortage of protective gear for frontline workers.
These deployments, carried out in close coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, underscore the crucial role played by Indian diplomatic efforts to facilitate such movements. In such India-centric scenarios, the navy rose to prominence, not only as a defender of sovereignty but also as a protector of the civilian way of life. Its commitment to serve the people of India, even those living outside its borders, was indicative of its global outreach, and the respect it commanded in those meticulously cultivated ‘friendly foreign’ countries. The navy also represented the Indian objective to be the protective and developing agent of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean, primarily under its SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) initiative. This assertion of Indian soft power in the region was responsible for India’s global recognition as the leader of the Global South, and of the South Asian and Indian Ocean Rim countries.
The growing Indian responsibility: conflict and peace
The Indian navy has not shrugged its responsibilities as a powerful military power in the Indian Ocean. It has continuously responded to political instability outside its territorial interests. Be it overthrowing the coup against Maldivian President Maumool Abdul Gayoom in 1988 (Operation Cactus), to blockading the LTTE’s supply routes during the Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war (Operation Pawan), it has always opposed anti-democratic forces in its periphery.
Parallel to Operation Enduring Freedom (in the aftermath of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war), Indian naval ships have been specially deployed in the Gulf to protect commercial shipping from Houthi, Hezbollah and Iranian drone and missile attacks in response to the Arab resistance movement to block the Suez and pressure in the West. In December 2023, it aided the Liberia-flagged MV Chem Pluto, the victim of an ‘alleged’ Iranian missile strike (Sengupta, 2023). Indian Navy destroyers escorted the ship to Mumbai for repairs and was cleared for service by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. The Navy subsequently stepped-up surveillance patrols using the Boeing P-8I Poseidon aircraft. The crux of Indian operations so far came with the hijacking of the Bulgarian-crewed MV Ruen by Somali pirates in January 2024 (ABC, 2024). Their three-month ordeal, during which the vessel was used as a pirate mothership, ended in April with the deployment of India’s Marine Commandos (MARCOS) from an Indian Air Force C-130, over 2000 kilometers from Indian territory. This successful takeover, which led to the capture of 35 pirates, was monitored and assisted by INS Kolkata, a frontline destroyer. This operation led to international commendation, and expression of gratitude from the Bulgarian government and other stakeholders.
India, therefore, during this crisis, established itself as a credible security provider for all nations with commercial interests in the Indian Ocean Region, without fear or favour of favourable relations. As put forth by Indian EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar himself, in response to a tweet by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister, “this is what friends are for.” (Firstpost, 2024). It has therefore metamorphosed out of its traditional deterrence patrols (dubbed the constabulary role of the Navy) and is more than willing, qualified and capable to take on a more proactive role.
Conclusion
It is not easy for any navy to gain the limelight for non-traditional reasons. The Indian navy has distinguished itself as both the protector and the benefactor of nations in the Indian Ocean- the latter embellishing the former. The navy has now risen as an important agent of Indian soft power and diplomatic assertion across the globe. The very hands which fired missiles at India’s adversaries have offered aid to its friends. Therefore, the peacetime exploits of the Indian Navy have captivated more eyeballs than those in wartime and has won more hearts. This engagement, of winning hearts and minds, will be the determinant of how the world vies India- as the leader of the Indian Ocean, its protector and benefactor.
Bibliography and references:
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